Author Archives: Griffin Keyes

Mac Demarco: A Sad Genius?

Posted on by
Reply

Mac Demarco is a genius. This goofy-looking guy from Vancouver Island has explored more emotions, ideas, and “happenings” of life than anyone I have ever listened to. It seems like there is a Mac De Marco song for every feeling that a human being can have. Studying Mac’s work is more than an exercise in introspection; it makes you realize there are levels when it comes to song writing. At only 31 years old, I believe Mac DeMarco has carved a place for himself as an all-time indie-great and one of the best Canadian songwriters ever.

 

 

The most skillful songwriters are masters of exploring the difficult, uncomfortable, and complex aspects of the human experience. Some combination of experience, cognizance, and empathy combined with musical creativity inspires us to approach things that are often easier to ignore. Their songs are always intentional. It isn’t about selling an image or lifestyle; it’s about using music to make people more conscientious. The world is a better place when more people look inward effectively, are aware of the world around them, and realize that we always have more in common than not. Great songwriters don’t tell us that things are better than they are or that we all get our Disney ending. Bruce Springsteen never said that your life will get better after first being difficult. Instead, he guaranteed that “you can’t start a fire without a spark” or “worryin’ about your little world fallin’ apart.” In other words, nothing can or will change until you take that first step while embracing that your life may be uncomfortable as you begin to figure it out. Bob Dylan wasn’t keen on reminiscing about how things used to be. Instead, he told the old not to “criticize what you can’t understand” because “the times they are a-changing.” It may not be what you want to hear or what is easy to hear, but the most talented writers care about individual and societal truths. 

If Bruce Springsteen was searching for redemption and Bob Dylan was angry, it seems that Mac Demarco just wants to be happy. Mac is from Vancouver Island, and he certainly looks the part, but the more I listen to the music and attempt to understand the man behind it, the more I look at him as symbolic of the darker, more tragic side of the Vancouverite spirit. It seems like a lot of people from Vancouver have two sides. One side is about ski hills, camping, hiking, fitness, designer brands, and Instagram stories. The other side is self-doubt, anger (usually about house prices), and different feelings that relate to our overpriced, very wet city. While the first side is positive, I feel like many of us use it to drown out the “noise” of the other side. I am no psychologist, but I think it takes a brave person to look inward and make peace with their feelings instead of a life-long quest of finding things to keep them at bay. Mac is extraordinarily introspective but also a self-described “savage alcoholic,” “manic depressive,” and highly anxious. He is known for consuming an entire bottle of Jameson on stage, peeing his pants, and other antics. Yet it seems, at least through music, that he is in touch with his emotions and why he feels the way he does. His words are profound, vulnerable, and often times just plain depressing. His words are usually layered on top of his signature jangly-bright guitar sounds (An unconventional guitar-hero) and synth pads. He doesn’t do filler, every song means something, and I recommend you pull him up right now to see what I mean. Here are five songs that stand out to me; a great starting point if you are unfamiliar with Mac’s work.

“Let Her Go” – a reminder to always be honest in a relationship, even if that could lead to the end of it. It’s not fair to either partner to be in something that doesn’t make them happy 

“Viceroy” – Viceroy was a low-end brand of cigarettes. In this song, Mac uses cigarettes to symbolize the familiar feeling of indulging in something we know is not good for us. Cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, maybe even bad television. We all have them. 

“Passing Out Pieces” – “Hell of a story, or is it boring?” Mac asks as he takes a step back to take a look at his life. Different things, pulling him in different directions, he feels like he is passing out pieces of himself and its taking its toll. 

“A Heart Like Hers” – It stings. You work yourself up to this expectation of what a relationship could be, you are totally sold on how amazing this person is. When it fails, we all become a little jaded for a while, promising ourselves to never again let ourselves believe in someone like that again. 

“My Old Man” – I hate this song because it might be the one that hits me the hardest. It’s easy to be hard on our parents and vow we will never be like them or make the same mistakes they did. Like the song suggests, the older I get, the more I realize how much like my father I am.

Neil Young Has Always Had Something To Say

Posted on by
Reply

Neil Young might be the “Old Man” now, but he still has something to say. A few weeks ago, he gave Spotify a choice: “They can have Rogan or Young, not both”. This was in protest of what he called “fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them .”Initially, I wrote this off as the latest demonstration of celebrity virtue-signaling. Then I remembered Neil Young,  who he has always been: singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and someone who gives a shit. Neil Young has always touched on what makes us human. Neil writes about death, he writes about time, and he indeed writes about love. These are things all of us have in common, but they aren’t always easy to think about, so many of us don’t until we have to. But Neil also writes about other people’s experiences and the things in this world that we can choose to be ignorant of. Neil Young never shied away from the tough subjects like racism (“Ohio,” “Southern Man”), addiction (“The Needle and The Damage Done”), or inequality (“Keep On Rockin In The Free World). Whether he chooses to be more observant or introspective, Neil Young is always authentic. He writes real songs, not easy ones, because, unlike many in pop culture, I have always gotten the sense that Neil Young has little interest in telling us that the world is a better place than it is. He doesn’t want you to downplay or ignore all the hurt out there; he wants to shed light on it, do the best he can, and help you do better by others and yourself. Don’t let your politics or personal opinion about Neil Young, COVID, or Joe Rogan keep you from appreciating his musical genius or even the JRE. It seems like every day, we get closer to a “with us or against us” mentality where we allow the things we don’t like about someone or something to prevent us from seeing the things that we would like. You don’t have to like Neil Young’s politics to get something out of his music. As someone with mixed opinions, I would like to introduce or perhaps reintroduce you to three Neil Young songs. These are songs from different stages of his career that cover all the things that make Neil unique. These are not necessarily his most commercially successful work, but they paint a complete picture of a man who listens first but then speaks with a voice that is as unique as it is intentional.

“Ohio” – Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (CSNY) were one of the first “supergroups,” meaning each group member had achieved some degree of commercial success elsewhere before the group’s formation. The group began as a trio in 1968 with David Crosby, who was previously with the Byrds, Graham Nash, who was in The Hollies, and Stephen Stills, who was in Buffalo Springfield alongside Young, where they had a hit with “For What its Worth .”CSN became CSNY in 1969 when a search for a keyboard player led to them somewhat reluctantly bringing Neil Young into the band. Commercially, “Déjà vu” was their most successful effort, with three her hit singles including “Woodstock”. That said, I think “Ohio,” released as a single in 1970, is the most essential Neil Young-driven song of that period. Writing credits go to Neil alone, who wrote the song in response to the Kent State Shootings in 1970. “Ohio” peaked at number 14 on the billboard hot 100, but it became a counterculture anthem that has cemented its status as a radio classic. The song is blunt, particularly for its criticism of the Nixon administration, and in true Neil Young fashion: pretty angry. It shows that even as a younger man, Neil was aware and felt for the world around him.

“Cortez The Killer” – Zuma

I don’t think most people give Neil Young enough credit for his guitar playing and how his style on the instrument was the precursor to the grunge sounds heard in the 1990s. Neil’s guitar playing is not the “cleanest” from a technical aspect. Yet, in the same way, you know if it’s Neil Young singing, his guitar playing is as unique. He plays like a man desperate to connect with his audience who has no patience for people who don’t “get it .”He almost exclusively plays d “Old Black”: a bastardized 1953 Gibson Les Paul that Young painted black, changed the pickups, and was equipped with nickel hardware. If there was a way to mess with this guitar, Neil probably did it.

Nevertheless, the thick (warm) tone of the Les Paul played through as much distortion as he could find is the primary canvas for Neil’s electric work. His string-bending (vibrato), frantic, stop n start, pentatonic heavy soloing never fails to carry a melody. Think of it as a story with way too many grammatical errors, but the meaning is never lost. There are too many songs that feature Neil’s choppy guitar playing ( check out “Woodstock,” “Down By The River,” and “Rockin In The Free World,” but “Cortez The Killer” is the standout for me. Even if historically inaccurate, the words are great, but the guitar carries the song. Almost five of the nearly eight-minute music are Neil doing some of his very best work at the electric guitar. It sounds like he is holding back the urge to just explode into a pentatonic fury, but yet he never does. The tension it creates makes the melodic lines that much more exciting. There is no instrument as capable of self-expression as the electric guitar, don’t argue, so it makes perfect sense that Neil’s voice on six strings is just as unique and just as memorable as everything else he does.

“My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue)” – Rust Never Sleeps

I don’t think Neil Young ever set out to write the most iconic line of all time, but he did just that in “My, My, Hey, Hey” when he told us that “it’s better to burn out than to fade away.”It’s the kind of song that pushes a particular headspace, but the specifics are different for everyone. In a broad sense, I believe it’s a reminder that time moves only in one direction and that the things we love come with a catch. Even if they don’t, they will leave us one day or forget about them. Yet Neil also tells us that “rock and roll can never die” and that “there’s more to the picture than meets the eye .”I don’t think “rock and roll” are meant to be taken literally here. I think we all have a “rock and roll” in our lives, something that will always be there for us or remain true at every stage of life. We all have different pictures because we all have other lives. But I think Neil is trying to tell us to look for deeper meaning or purpose in each of our lives because there is always something we may have missed.

These are uncertain times but remember that regardless of where you find yourself in the political or social landscape, we all have something to say, and we are all the better off when we listen as well. There is more we have in common than most of us think. You don’t need to be in love with every aspect of a person to appreciate their value, more importantly, their story. You can hate his music, and you can hate his opinion. Neither changes the fact that Neil has always cared, he has always listened, and he has never veered from doing what he believes is right.

Three Things I Will Miss Post-Covid

Posted on by
Reply

 

Knock on wood, but I feel like the end of this 2020 encore is near. The pandemic has brought changes one way or another for all of us. Here I decided to reflect on three things I think I will miss when all of this is over.

Family

You know, there have been plenty of times since that initial lockdown where we have been really frustrated with each other. We are home more than ever before, and it has been harder to get that space at times to allow cooler heads to prevail. That said, I don’t think I have ever been closer to my little brother than I am today. Sure we still fight from time to time,  but I never before took the time to appreciate how awesome he really is and the things he has to say. We confide in each other like we never did before and though I may be older, he has made just as much an impression on me as I’m sure I have on him.  Sometimes these days, when I’m in a bit of a rut emotionally, I try to remind myself that no matter how much this pandemic sucks, you will never get this window with your family again so there is always something to smile about.

Zoom

Call me crazy but I am older now, and online school is fine by me. I am more ambitious and focused then I was in university as a younger man and I don’t need any of the shenanigans or what have you at this point in time. Being able to attend lectures online has made it easier to go to and from my various obligations as I work towards my career goals.  23 going on 30 perhaps?  But I appreciate the value of time more than I ever have. So thanks Zoom, someone appreciates you.

Growth

I don’t think I will ever make the type of leap I made in terms of emotional growth and maturity that I did over the past two years. I went from someone content to do what is expected of most young adults to wanting nothing more than to dedicate my life to help others. This pandemic set me on the path towards the right career for me by forcing me to look inward. Introspection doesn’t scare me like it used to, in fact, I embrace it as a tool to understand why I feel the way I do at times.

 

 

 

My Favourite Canadian Bands

Posted on by
Reply

We make some good music here up north. Here are the Canadian bands that I enjoy the most. This is not an official ranking, but rather a celebration of the acts that have had the most lasting influence on my taste.

Rush

You may be familiar with some Rush songs, but unless you have really gone down the rabbit hole, your familiarity with the band is probably limited to their most radio-friendly efforts: a very small portion of their catalog. Perhaps that is one of the craziest things about Rush to me. 90% of their work is too technically advanced, long, or obscure to ever make its way to the radio. Yet, they have a massive fanbase, myself included, that they sold out arenas to play to. I have nothing against “Fly by Night” or “Closer to the Heart”, but that really is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Rush is capable of technically and creatively. Playing piano at a high conservatory level (I appreciate it now mom!) and the guitar from a young age, I was naturally compelled to investigate the band after I heard “Limelight” when I was ten or so. From there I went on to explore some of their best work including “Hemispheres”, “2112”, and my favorite “Farewell to Kings”. To this day, I still don’t really understand how the fuck you get a sound like that out of just three people. I guess it helps when you have arguably the greatest drummer of all time, one of the best guitarists of all time, and one of the best rock bassists of all time. Lyrically, the majority of Rush songs have sci-fi, dungeons n dragons, and fantasy feels about them. The words were never particularly personal but they were philosophical. Songs like “Xanadu” and “ Freewill” paint these massive scenes with both the words and intricate arrangements, time changes, key changes, and impeccable precision. What is also interesting is how they “leveled up” over time. Beginning with almost Led Zeppelin blues-based efforts like “Working Man” and “Fly by Night” to that Synth/Prog Rock sound they worked towards in the 1970s. There is a reason no one covers Rush songs…. They can’t

 

Tragically Hip

Usually, I resist the idea of convincing myself to like something under any sort of “ you’re supposed to because..” type of logic. For example “You should like the Tragically Hip because they are Canadian”. It may have started that way, but the band grew on me over time as I heard them on the radio plenty especially after Gord Downie’s final performance with the band that was televised. I need to mention that this logic did not work for me when it came to “Great Big Sea” because I think that they absolutely suck. The Hip grew on me because as I matured I started to appreciate the storytelling ability of Downie. Songs like “38 years old” and “Fifty Mission Cap” take true Canadian stories but deliver them in ways that make me want to care. More accurately, they make me believe that these stories are something I should care about because they are uniquely Canadian.

Blue Rodeo

I am by no means a diehard Blue Rodeo fan but I have long had a soft spot for the band because they remind me of my father. We aren’t close anymore but I tend to cling to things that he likes because it reminds me of a time that we were. My dad loves Blue Rodeo. He is from a small town in Alberta so maybe it’s that the hospitable, western, and feel-good quality a lot of Blue Rodeo songs have. My dad’s favorite is “Till I am myself again” but mine is “Rose Colored Glasses” because it makes me appreciate the people I have known who have a beautiful innocence about them. Do you know the type? That person who sees the best in everyone always has a smile and wants others to see the glass half full. Cherish those people no matter how annoying their positivity may be in the moment. The world needs more of them. It makes me sad when one way or another they lose their “rose-colored glasses” and are just like the rest of us. I think my dad was one of those people once but life beat it out of him. They are an awesome band that gets a spot on my list just on the strength of that song alone and what it means to me.

My Underrated Albums

Posted on by
Reply

To dub, something “underrated” is inherently subjective. While I realize that, there are some albums that I believe qualify as such. This could be because an album is overshadowed by an artist’s more commercial work, that the effort has lost recognition over time, or maybe it just never got off the ground, to begin with. Regardless here are three albums that I believe are underrated.

“Lonerism” – Tame Impala

Talking strictly commercial: Do I think Kevin Parker will ever top the anthemic status of “Less I know the better” or soundscapes of “ Let it Happen”? No, probably not. Make no mistake every artist has their defining effort and “Currents” is every bit deserving of that distinction. However, for many people that was their first time hearing the genius multi-instrumentalist that is Kevin Parker. I was one of those kids who listened to him when calling something “indie” meant something. I was one of those pricks who fancied himself interesting by flaunting my knowledge of music that no one listened to Tame Impala once fit that bill. For the life of me, I can’t understand why Lonerism isn’t thought of as highly. It is a fantastic album that explores deep topics such as anxiety, romance, and depression. Of course, these powerful messages are wrapped up nicely in layered soundscapes, synthesizers, but with a higher dose of guitar than you will find on later efforts like Currents and The Slow Rush. My favorite song from this album is also my favorite song of all time. Believe me, I am not just saying that. “Music to Walk Home By” will forever be my unofficial life’s soundtrack. Emotions will come to the surface every time I hear the chorus and outro to that beautiful song. Listen to it.

“London Calling” – The Clash

Objectively, this album is not underrated in any sense. Consider this more of an ode of appreciation to what I believe is a top-five album of all time no matter what way you spin it. I think that some things are particularly powerful because they simultaneously define the era to which they belong as much as they represent it. “London Calling” is exactly that type of album. England was not a happy place to be in 1979. That was the beginning of the Thatcher era. While there is little sense debating a polarizing figure, many of the working class took a hit during this era. The Clash touch on all of it ranging from homelessness, climate change, nuclear war, and drug abus. They capture and draw attention to the angst of the times with a plain angry conviction. However, unlike the Sex Pistols, The Clash conveyed that rage with finesse and restraint. This is a punk album, make no mistake, but it draws from rockabilly, hard rock, jazz, and even reggae. While the Sex Pistols played at you, The Clash played for you but were every bit as angry doing so. My favorite song off the album is “Guns of Brixton”, where bassist Paul Simonon takes vocals in place of co-frontmen Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The reggae-like bass line drives home thoughts of paranoia and social unrest. Think of London Calling” as someone who is seething with rage but manages to stay polite as they let it out.

“Mean Street” – Van Halen

Mean Street was released in 1981, this was still early in the band’s career at this time they were successful enough but for the most part that was limited to the hard-rock scene. This was before “1984” after which they never opened for anyone again. The album has little in the way of lasting commercial appeal but I find it to be the band’s most polished effort pre-synthesizer takeover. Eddie Van Halen’s riffs, not his soloing, is what makes the album stands out to me. The solos are there but the driving rhythm work on “Mean Street”, “Unchained”, and “Dirty Movies” is really compelling. I love the way that Eddie lags behind the beat, making it sound like he is always trying to catch. Of course, it all comes back to the blues but done high-octane EVH style.

 

My Five Favourite Guitar Players

Posted on by
Reply

The electric guitar is not just the most important instrument of all time it is also the best. Sorry, but you will not change my mind. I have played the guitar for over 15 years but the versatility and expressiveness that this instrument is capable of never fails to amaze me. In the right hand, an electric- guitar sounds like the notes are coming straight from the heart of the player. I have had my share of influences along the way in my “guitar journey” but here are the five players whose impression is as strong on me today as it was the first time I heard them. For you, I have undergone the painful task of ranking them one through five. Telling you what makes each man great was far easier.

5. Mick Ronson

David Bowie had great taste in guitar players period, let’s get that out of the way. He had Stevie Ray Vaughan take lead on his 1982 album “Let’s Dance” and resurrected Peter Frampton to cover six-string duties on his “Glass Spiders” tour in 1987. You get the idea. Before them, Bowie’s dance partner was Mick Ronson and together they helped define an era in glam-rock with some pretty damn good songs. Mick covered lead guitar and a variety of musical arrangements for some of Bowie’s best work between 1970 and 1973 which encapsulated his legendary “Ziggy Stardust” era. It was always the “David Bowie Show” so to speak but Ronson always stood out to me for his ability to shine in little moments, put together memorable riffs, and his emotive style of soloing. Tracks like “Ziggy Stardust”, “Suffragette City”, and “Gean Genie” come to mind when I think of his ability to drive a song without making it about himself. Mick played a black Gibson Les Paul Custom which with the finish stripped off on the front: he claimed that it gave the instrument more sustain. His tone was very thick and warm, achieved through the classic Les Paul into a Marshall amplifier combination along with a Wah-Pedal which he would use for saturation by setting it into the compressed position- similar to the sound you hear on the solo from “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.

Key Track: “Moonage Daydream” – The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

4. Mick Taylor

Yeah, I know… another Mick. Mick Taylor handled lead duties for the Rolling Stones between 1969 and 1974. This was a comparatively quiet era if ever you could say that about anything to do with the Rolling Stones. Taylor started his career in near-identical fashion to other British greats Eric Clapton and Peter Green, the latter of whom was the founding member of Fleetwood Mac. He played lead on John Mayall’s Blues breakers album “Crusade”. While his style of soloing no doubt had its basis in the blues, he separated himself by incorporating Latin and Jazz influences as well. His lead lines were very smooth and when given the room to work (hard to come by in a band with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards) he shines brighter than anyone. Though he used a Gibson Les Paul for the vast majority of his work, and exclusively today, Taylor also played a Gibson SG and at times even a Stratocaster.

Key Track: “Time waits for no one” – Its only Rock n Roll

3. Jimmy Page

Even if you don’t play guitar yourself, we may have arrived at the first entrant on this list with who you may be familiar. I hope I don’t need to tell you the significance of Jimmy Page but in case I do two words: Led Zeppelin. He was the primary writer, arranger, and obviously lead guitar player for the biggest hard rock act of all time and the greatest band not named the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. The first thing I have to mention about Jimmy Page has absolutely nothing to do with his playing itself – how fucking cool he looked. The guy hung his Les Paul practically at his knees sporting a dragon suit while strumming his guitar with a violin bow. He is also the first entrant on this list who is every bit the songwriter that he is a guitar player. I describe his playing as “consistently inconsistent”. His style of soloing, like the majority of his peers, was based on the blues and pentatonic scale. However, his playing is so idiosyncratic that he never sounded like anyone else and no one ever sounded like him. He sounded like he was falling down the stairs but he always landed on his feet somehow. Listen to “ Black Dog”, “ Rock and Roll”, and of course the best example “Heartbreaker” to see what I mean. The only thing Jimmy did better than solo was riffing. “Black Dog”, “Moby Dick”, “Kashmir”, “The Rover”, “ Good Times Bad Times”, I will stop there. Jimmy most heavily relied on a variety of Gibson Les Paul’s but also a double-neck EDS-1275, and good use out of a Fender Telecaster, especially in the studio and early days of Zeppelin.

Key Track: Take your pick…. But I’ll go with “Heartbreaker” – Led Zeppelin II

2. Jeff Beck

In terms of technical proficiency, versatility, flair, and having the biggest bag of tricks, there is no debate that Jeff Beck was and is the best of the three great Yardbirds guitar players. When you consider the other two were Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, that is no small distinction. When I was a kid my guitar teacher once told me Jeff Beck could make any wrong note right. His mastery of vibrato bends, and varying degrees of attack on the strings give him a sound that can’t really be duplicated. Yeah sure, like the rest of the guys on this list, his basis may be the blues. However, it is a lot more than that and Jeff can make the most basic 12-bar shuffle worth listening to. His hands can be as fast as they come or also more drawn out than should be possible. From his early days in the Jeff Beck Group, alongside frontman Rod Stewart, to his fusion work on “Blow by Blow” right down his rare appearances today: Jeff has a sort of cool detachment from the instrument that makes him all the more mesmerizing to me. He never achieved the highs or sustained commercial success of Page and Clapton but much of that was by choice. He never had an interest in going “mainstream” and instead opted to push the envelope creatively. What are you left with? A guy who your favorite guitar player is in awe of. Jeff is forever synonymous with a White Fender Stratocaster into a Marshall but he also used a Les Paul extensively in the early days as well. Fender Esquire, Telecaster, and even a Jackson Soloist. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter what the fuck he plays, it will sound like him and it will sound good. Jeff is the closest I have ever heard to make a guitar sound like a human voice.

Key Track: “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” – Blow by Blow

1. ERIC CLAPTON

And so here we are: my favorite guitar player there ever was or will be. Eric Patrick Clapton. Of the three great guitarists who went through the Yardbirds: if Jimmy was the most creative and Jeff was the most skilled…. Eric was just the greatest overall. I respect absolutely everything the man ever did but his early days with Cream and John Mayall’s Blues Breakers are most dear to me. His style was straightforward, never straying far from his blues roots, but it has a consistency and a soulfulness to it that just works in any context. I prefer “Gibson Clapton” to put it that way. When he plugged either a Les Paul, ES-335, SG, or Firebird into a Marshall and called it at that with nothing more than a Wah-pedal. He evolved as a musician, grew into his own as a singer, and thus was able to stay at the front of pop music for five decades. Something- neither of his Yardbird peers can claim. In terms of his playing, the Cream era was his best for me. He was aggressive, his tone was warm and rich, and he filled so much space alongside just two (albeit both damn skilled in their own right) other musicians. Listen to his lead work on “Crossroads”, “Tales of Brave Ulysses”, and “White Room” among others to realize what made this era of Clapton so special. Or how about his haunting vibrato on “While my guitar gently weeps”?

Key Track: “ Crossroads” – Wheels of Fire

“Run Away” From Your Problems

Posted on by
Reply

Running is how I run away from my problems without really running away, let me explain. For me, the benefits of what is arguably the most tediously grueling form of exercise there is are strictly mental. Sure it is great for the heart and lungs, and sure I can still lay down a 10K in under 40 minutes, but the speed, time, and all the rest of the “measured” side of running is no longer the focus. When I run, I am able to clear my head and contemplate what is going on in my life. The anxiety that would otherwise cloud my judgment, falls away as I pound the trails or concrete. I do not listen to music and I seldom even record my runs anymore because I want to hear that inner voice. The voice I can only hear when I am too tired physically to overcomplicate things mentally. It could be a homework assignment, an issue in my personal life, or even joy. That tendency we have to blow things out of proportion (usually when things seem to be going really bad or really good), is refreshingly absent when I run. I am able to step away from a situation and then return with a fresh mind or sometimes even a solution I came to along the way. A lot of people do not like to run, I often hear people cite how boring it is as the reason they don’t do it. The truth though, is most people don’t like to run because they think it’s hard…. And it is! You are all on your own and you can stop at any point you want. The motivation has to come from you or it isn’t coming at all. Before I go any further, I will be the first to admit running for the sake of running is no longer something I have any interest in doing. I use it exclusively for the mental benefits and to get an edge in my other physical pursuits. These mental benefits are something I believe almost all of us can tap into and it doesn’t matter how fast you are or how long you go. Take all the measuring out of it! It doesn’t matter what you look like or if you have never done much running in the past. You can get in on this.

This clarity I am talking about has a scientific basis. You have likely heard the term “runners high”, but if you haven’t this is when your body releases “feel good” chemicals called endorphins when you partake in physical activity. It is a feeling like few others. You may be gasping for breath, your heart racing, but there is this relaxation that falls where none of that seems to be able to get in the way of you from putting one foot in front of the other. Newer research has suggested that this feeling may even be due to elevated levels of endocannabinoids after running. These chemicals are produced naturally in the body, but as the name might suggest they are similar to cannabis.

Whatever the cause, this awesome feeling is something we all can and should experience. I have been a consistent runner for over ten years, but the current level of appreciation I have for the activity is relatively newfound. If I had any advice for getting started it would be to get outside! Treadmills certainly have their place but today I feel like choosing a treadmill over an outside run, barring the weather of course, in some respects sacrilegious to running itself. Indoors you are far more likely to stare at a television or at the very least listen to music; no judgment here, If you can do a hard run on a treadmill with no stimulation you are one very tough person. I would not mess with you. However, if you’re looking for mental benefits as well, this is harder to achieve indoors. So go get after it alright? It isn’t about others, and it isn’t about how many miles you can jack up on Strava. If you live in Vancouver or the greater area, as I do, there is no excuse to not give running a try and to try it outdoors!

How Chess Taught Me Self Control

Posted on by
Reply

The game of chess is of particular significance to me. It represents both the creative side of my personality and a previous tendency to overindulge in my hobbies to the detriment of my happiness. My relationship with chess has changed over the years, and this change mirrors a growth in maturity where I learned how to better manage my time and never allow anyone thing to occupy too much space in my life. Allow me to explain. Perhaps most of all, I learned through chess that there are sides to all of us that are not inherently good or bad but can be really influential to either effect in our lives, should we fail to manage them. The side of me that indulges in chess, carries both my best and worst attributes: creativity and obsession. While I used to (wrongly) believe that they were inseparable, I have since been able to find a happy medium in my life that allows me to be creative in spots without overextending myself. Let’s get into it.

I began playing chess when I was 12 or 13 years old but I stopped playing competitively when I was just 17. Though I never went on to become a particularly strong player, I was nevertheless really active in tournaments in and around Vancouver, a weekly attendee of my local chess club in Port Coquitlam, and an absolutely inappropriate amount of time to studying the game in various books on chess openings and tactics. What drew me to the game is the same thing that drew me to playing music, kickboxing, and even bouldering: the inherently creative and personal side of these types of activities. I see chess the same way I see fighting: the way one goes about is usually an extension of their personality. An aggressive person will often adopt an attacking style whereas a patient person is more likely to search for slow positional games. I fell in love with the world of chess because it allowed me to learn the rules, methods, and themes but then apply them any way I wanted. My inclination for self-expression drew my interest particularly to the study of chess openings. I would spend hours at the board with my opening books, going down the rabbit hole of different variations. Initially, I think doing this was somewhat beneficial as it improved my memory, attention to detail, visualization, and pattern recognition. Before too long, however, what started as a beginner’s passion soon devolved into an obsession that edged out more important responsibilities and eventually did away with any enjoyment I could possibly draw from the game itself. I was regularly trading in time that should have gone to school to eke out as many hours studying chess as possible. I would sometimes go until one or two in the morning on a school day! Not ideal, when you are 15 years old, growing, and supposed to be exposing yourself to a variety of experiences. I would justify the behavior by convincing myself that this is what people who wanted to achieve greatness had to do. Before too long my grades began to drop, I wasn’t prioritizing friendships, and my other pursuits were woefully neglected. Eventually, I couldn’t even contain my chess addiction to my home life and I began studying at school as well. I would play online games during lectures, study books at lunch, then try to get a classmate to fill me in on what I missed well I was off in my own world. That’s just the thing, at that point in my life I was perfectly content living in ignorant bliss well I did whatever I wanted to do. While there are certainly worse things someone in grade 9 can get up to, at that age, overindulgence of any kind is rarely a good thing: especially when it gets in the way of your ability to develop different interests and sides to yourself. Fortunately, I put a stop to the cycle before any lasting damage was done but it got worse before that happened. I was never a prodigy in chess or even a particularly promising prospect, nevertheless, I was active in tournaments, and made the best of what I had without a chess coach. I remember my Dad waking me up early in the morning on a Saturday to drive me to tournaments. The majority of them were far from where we lived, out in Vancouver West or Richmond so my dad would usually drop me off for the day. Despite mixed results, for a time I genuinely enjoyed competing. I loved nothing more than pitting my skills against others and then analyzing the game together afterward. What always fascinated me in this post-game analysis was hearing how my opponent’s thought process differed from my own when we were looking at the exact same position. What they were thinking at a given moment, the plans they were trying to implement, the threats they were concerned about, it never got old. The psychological side of the game was one area I was always strong in. I had great success using my body language for deception. I would often look intently and one side of the board to get my opponent concerned over what was going on over there when I had no plans in seeking activity there at all. I would fidget, tap my foot, smile at my opponent for no particular reason ( usually after they made a strong move and I wanted them to think that somehow it wasn’t as great as it first seemed), place my pieces sloppily, take an unreasonable amount of time to make an obvious move, and even the occasional cheeky remark. All of this to throw better players than myself off of their game, getting them to start playing emotionally and play moves they otherwise wouldn’t. Against truly talented and collected opponents this will not work, however, I stole more than my share of games from opponents to who I had no business competing. Learning how to effectively leverage the psychological aspect of competition along with simple tenacity is something I developed playing chess. So as you can see, it wasn’t all bad but it got to a point where I no longer enjoyed the game. I began to take chess so seriously that eventually, I was tying my sense of worth to the results at the board. When I lost it would put me in a bad mood for hours, all over a simple game. The hours studying, “sacrificing”, and putting the game first, it felt like none of it was paying off. Why after treating the game with so much respect and devotion was it not rewarding me with the results? After a few months of my results beginning to plummet, I finally had that eureka moment. I realized that I was the only one at the tournament hall who wasn’t enjoying myself. It made no sense, after all, we were all playing the same game right? While that may have been true, it was too personal for me at this point. I had destroyed any enjoyment I could ever get from the game because of the place I let it occupy in my life. So that was it. Somehow, I decided right then and there that this was never going to happen again with anything.. and it didn’t. I have a huge pool of hobbies today but I am not defined by any one of them on its own. For me, my pursuits need to make me happy because what is the point if they can no longer do that? This isn’t to say that I don’t commit to anything or only do things at a casual level or shy away from things when they are difficult. Far from it, but I am always aware of how things are affecting my headspace so that I can adjust accordingly. By doing this, I am able better able to make sure everything is in check. As for chess, which I still play! it was the thing in my life that taught me how to manage my efforts, and utilize my creativity without exhausting myself.

 

Bahamas

Posted on by
Reply

Afie Jurvanen aka “Bahamas” will take his talents to the Vogue Theatre on Friday. He may not quite be a household name but Jurvanen is a veteran of the Canadian indie scene. He has toured with or worked alongside a handful of heavy hitters including The Lumineers, City and Color, Feist, and even Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant!

The Toronto native has a quirky style that I guess we can call folk, but he incorporates rock, funk, pop, blues, and even soul elements. His career, under his banner that is, kicked off with 2009s “Pink Strat”. His latest, “Sad Hunk”, was released in 2020. Not unlike Mac Demarco, his lyrics are introspective, self-deprecating, or poignant. He has an outstanding voice that is warm, smooth, but capable of being rougher. Like Demarco, he builds his songs around the guitar very well. Specifically clean and jangly lead lines layered on top of acoustics. However, he can and does utilize a heavier sound as heard on “Wisdom of The World”.  Lastly, he is a fantastic guitar player; and an unusual one in an indie context. While indie guitar playing is largely defined by chord-based soloing, melody, and arpeggios; “Bahamas” plays his lead lines more like a bluesman. He varies his lead playing well, never letting it overcrowd the song, however, he mixes the blues and pentatonic scales in a manner more reminiscent of Dan Auerbach than most indie or alternative musicians. Case in point: “Try, Tried, Tryin’” and  “No Expectations”. This man is extremely talented and he is bringing it this Friday at the Vogue Theatre.

Griffin

Hometown Veterans Return

Posted on by
Reply

The New Pornographers will take it to the Vogue Theater in December. The veteran indie rockers will play their hometown for two dates on the 11th and 12th of December alongside special guest Aoife Nessa Frances. The dates in Vancouver will close out a short tour that starts at the end of the month.  The Bands hasn’t released an album since  “In the Morse Code of Brake Lights” in 2019 and this tour will be in celebration of two of the band’s earlier albums: 2000s “Mass Romantic” and 2005s “Twin Cinema”. Each stop along the tour will consist of two concerts: one dedicated to the anniversary of each album. The 11th of December is dedicated to the anniversary of “Mass Romantic” and the 12th to “Twin Cinema”.

The New Pornographers were founded in 1997 in Vancouver and have since released eight studio albums. The band exploded from the gate, as with their debut effort “Mass Romantic”. Despite failing to chart, the album received critical acclaim and remains a classic amongst indie enthusiasts. This tour will see founding-member Dan Bejar coincide with the departure of Blaine Thurier: the band’s original keyboardist and synthesizer specialist. The band is probably best known for its unique sound where they use a variety of vocalists and underground power-pop elements. Expect these hometown veterans to deliver.

Griffin